How to Eat (84 page)

G
ROUSE.
The Glorious Twelfth—August 12th—is what the British call the much-anticipated opening day of their grouse-hunting season, which ends on December 31st. That such acknowledgment exists gives some idea of the British love of grouse, a true game bird with darker and more flavorful meat than that of partridge, its close cousin. In the States the birds are commercially available, imported, in the fall (see Sources) and run to about a pound each. Though expensive, they are a royal treat and worth seeking out. In lieu of grouse, however, use poussin or Cornish hen; these possess, obviously, a different, much milder flavor than grouse, but will work nicely in the recipes designed for grouse.

M
USCAT WINE.
The muscat grape produces both dry and sweet wines with varying degrees of alcohol in them, but it is the sweet I refer to and use for a number of the recipes. Of these sweet wines, two stand out: Moscata d’Asti and Muscat de Baumes de Venise. The former is a delicately sweet, slightly effervescent wine from Italy’s Piedmont region; the latter, from the southern Rhône valley in France, is golden, rich, and luscious. But any muscat wine of good quality—taste before adding!—can be used, which group includes a number of good California dessert wines.

O
IL, GARLIC-INFUSED.
This and other flavored oils are now widely available in supermarkets. Some gastro-purists turn up their delicate noses at such innovations, but they can be a boon to the time-starved or ordinarily exhausted cook. And as with all produce, standards vary. Sample to settle on a brand you like.

P
OMEGRANATE MOLASSES.
Used by cooks from the Mediterranean to the Caucasus, this tangy syrup, made usually from the fruit only with the addition of lemon juice, has a rich, molasses-like flavor. In addition to the purposes to which I put it, it can be used for glazing grilled food, in a salad dressing, and to give depth of flavor to a variety of dishes.

S
UET.
A British cookery mainstay, though not as common as it once was, suet is, unglamorously, the solid white fat found around the kidneys and loins of beef, sheep, and other animals. It produces pie crusts and pastries that are wonderfully delicate and I urge you to try it. Having said this, you will need a sympathetic butcher to provide you with suet, which needs to be ground or chopped finely before using. In Britain, suet is sold commercially, most famously under the Atora label, but I’m not certain that I entirely trust these products: where has the suet come from, I ask myself, and how healthy are the animals who have given it? (Atora also markets “vegetable suet,” and this can be used without compunction.) The choice to use these undeniably convenient products is, however, up to you (see Sources).

S
UGAR
,
DEMERARA.
This large-crystal, toffee-colored sugar is from the Demerara area of Guyana. Because of its crunchy texture it makes a perfect topping for muffins, cakes, cookies, and other desserts; it has been long used in Europe, also, as a coffee sweetener.

S
UGAR, GOLDEN CASTER.
Actually beige in color, this unrefined sugar from Mauritius has very fine crystals. I use it in baking, but it is also lovely sprinkled over fruit and other desserts, or used to sweeten drinks.

S
UGAR, MUSCOVADO.
I predict that once tasted, this richly flavorful sugar, long favored in Britain, will replace in popularity the traditional brown sugars to which most American cooks are accustomed. Muscovado (or Barbados) sugar is available in both light and dark styles. The light muscovado is relatively fine-grained, moderately rich in natural molasses (which gives both the light and dark sugars their color and flavor), and can be used whenever light brown sugar is called for. It has a wonderfully fudgy depth and flavor. Because of its greater molasses content, dark muscovado is more fully flavored than the light and stickier in texture. It evokes the aroma and taste of gingerbread. Store both kinds as you would regular brown sugar, in tightly sealed plastic bags or airtight containers.

S
YRUP, GOLDEN.
The English dote on this sweetener, which is also known as light treacle. First produced during the last World War as a honey substitute and made from evaporated sugar-cane juice, golden syrup has a deep, rich flavor unlike that of any other syrup. It is widely available in American supermarkets—the favored brand is Lyle’s—and is used in baking or as a topping. Note that cookbooks often advise you to substitute light corn syrup for golden syrup; the latter has little of the sweetening power, not to mention flavor of the former—keep this in mind!

Y
EAST, COMPRESSED FRESH.
I favor compressed yeast, which comes in small (0.06-ounce) cakes, for its handling pleasure and the sense of continuity with age-old baking traditions it provides. It can be used in my recipes without proofing; just add it to the dry ingredients and go. Because fresh yeast is extremely perishable, however, always check package expiration dates before you buy and use it promptly, within two weeks of purchase. You can find it in refrigerated cases of many supermarkets; store it similarly.

Sources

Balducci’s

424 Sixth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

212 673-2600 or 800 225-3822

Italian products, including porcini bouillon cubes, pandoro, and savoiardi; also Italian 00 flour

Bangkok Market

104 Mosco Street

New York, NY 10013

212 349-1979

Thai products, including tom yam and pork bouillon cubes

Bel Canto Fancy Foods Ltd.

57-01 49th Place

Maspeth, NY 11378

718 417-8323 or 718 497-3888

Italian 00 flour

Bridge Kitchenware Corp.

214 East 52nd Street

New York, NY 10022

212 838-1901 or 212 838-6746

www.bridgekitchenware.com

kitchen equipment, including blini pans

Chelsea Market Basket

75 Ninth Avenue

New York, NY 10111

888 727-7887

Cottage Delight mayonnaise and other products

D’Artagnan, Inc.

280 Wilson Avenue

Newark, NJ 07105

800 DARTAGN or 973 344-0565

www.dartagnan.com

grouse, mallard ducks

Dean & DeLuca

560 Broadway

New York, NY 10012

800 999-0306 or 212 226-6800

www.dean-deluca.com

English cheeses; Italian products, including salt-packed capers, canned cranberry (borlotti) beans, and spaghetti di farro; also pomegranate molasses

Harrington’s of Vermont, Inc.

210 East Main Street

Richmond, VT 05477

800 434-4444

www.haringtonham.stores.yahoo.com

slab bacon and other smoked meats

India Tree Gourmet Spices and Specialties

4240 Gilman Place West #B

Seattle, WA 98199

800 369-4848

muscovado sugar

Katagiri

254 East 59th Street

New York, NY 10022

212 752-4197

Japanese products, including noodles, dried seaweeds, and dashi-no-moto

King Arthur Flour

PO Box 876

Norwich, VT 05055-0876

800 827-6836

www.kingarthurflour.com

baking goods and equipment of all kinds, including Cook-Eze baking liners

Myers of Keswick

634 Hudson Street

212 691-4194

New York, NY 10014

English products, including Atora suet and Christmas pudding

Simpson & Vale, Inc.

3 Quarry Road

Brookfield, CT 06804

800 282-8327

caster sugar

Williams Sonoma

PO Box 7456

San Francisco, CA 94120

800 541-2233

www.williams-sonoma.com

English Christmas pudding and other food products

Bibliography

Books referred to in the preceding pages are listed below. British and Australian publications can be ordered from Books for Cooks, London, at 171 221 1992 (phone) or www.booksforcooks.com.

Allen, Darina.
Irish Traditional Cooking
. Trafalgar Square, 1998.

Alexander, Stephanie.
The Cook’s Companion
. Viking Australia, 1996.

Bhumchitr, Vatcharin.
Vatch’s
Southeast Asian Cookbook
. St. Martin’s Press, 1997.

Borrel, Anne, Alain Senderens, and Jean-Bernard Naudin.
Dining with Proust
. Ebury, 1992.

Boxer, Arabella.
The Herb Book
. Thunder Bay Press, 1996.

——.
Book of English Food: A Rediscovery of British Food from before the War
. Hodder & Stoughton, 1991.

——.
Garden Cookbook
. Merehurst, 1995.

Collister, Linda, and Anthony Blake.
The Baking Book
. Smithmark, 1996.

Corriher, Shirley O.
Cookwise
. Morrow, 1997.

Conte, Anna del.
Classic Food of Northern Italy
. Trafalgar Square, 1999.

——.
Entertaining All’Italiana
. Bantam Press, 1991.

Costa, Margaret.
Four Seasons Cookery Book
. Grub Street, 1996.

Craddock, Fanny, and Johnnie Craddock.
Coping with Christmas
. Fontana, 1968.

Crawford Poole, Shona.
Iced Delights
. Conran Octopus, 1986.

Croft-Cooke, Rupert.
English Cooking: A New Approach
. W. H. Allen, 1960.

David, Elizabeth. F
rench Provincial Cooking
. Penguin, 1999.

Freud, Clement.
The Gourmet’s Tour of Great Britain and Ireland
. Bullfinch, 1989.

Gayler, Paul.
A Passion for Cheese
. St. Martin’s Press, 1998.

Gold, Rozanne.
Recipes 1-2-3
. Viking Press, 1996.

Green, Henrietta.
Food Lovers’ Guide to Great Britain
. BBC Books, 1994.

Grigson, Jane.
English Food
. Ebury, 1992.

——.
Fruit Book
. Michael Joseph, 1982.

Hazan, Marcella.
Marcella’s Italian Kitchen
. Knopf, 1986.

Hopkinson, Simon, with Lindsay Bareham.
Roast Chicken and Other Stories
. Ebury, 1994.

Kafka, Barbara.
Roasting
. Morrow, 1995.

——.
Microwave Gourmet
. Morrow, 1987.

King, Rani, and Chandra Khan. T
iger Lily: Flavours of the Orient
. Piatkus, 1996.

Kreitzman, Sue.
Lowfat Vegetarian Cookbook
. Crossing Press, 1996.

Little, Alastair, and Richard Whittington.
Keep It Simple
. Conran Octopus, 1993.

Lowinsky, Ruth.
More Lovely Food
. The Nonesuch Press, 1935.